Tag: vancity

It honestly has been quite some time that I have written about anything (busy life problems, am I right?).

I have been going through so many personal adventures and I have had so many things to share. I decided to come back and write about some of things that I have been up to this summer. Summer is so glorious in Vancouver, I cannot complain. Although, I work Monday to Friday, the weekends are spent exploring the city. The best part of Vancouver is that there is an endless supply of adventures. If you are into low-key sitting by the water, we have tons of bodies of water whether you live in the city or more outside of the lower mainland, there are various options. If you’re into the more intense exploration, we have anything and everything to cater to your adventure needs.

Personally, some weekends I need major adventures and other times I am very low-key and just require a tree to sit under to read my books. I wanted to share 5 things that I think are the best things to do in Vancouver (that are free or a low cost). Of course, this is entirely my opinion and there are many other blog posts out there of even more exciting things to do in Vancouver.

This was my first year attending the free concert and I will forever make it a summer tradition. The orchestra shares with us a display of wonderful music, talent and beauty. The concert lasts about 2 hours. My friends and I made it into a thing. We brough a picnic basket, dressed up and basked in the sun while we lived our disney princess dreams. Although, I ended up with heat exhaustion (at the beach performance), it was worth it. I would highly recommend that you take transit or do what we did and get there early, since finding parking basically sucks.

Another fantastic event is the Surrey Fusion Festival. Although, my video is from last years’ event (I’m heading there tonight for the final day), I had to share. The Surrey Fusion Festival is a culmination of different countries coming together to share their music, their food and culture with the City of Surrey. The Fusion Fesitival has played a large part growing up in the Surrey/Delta area. My dad has performed at this event a couple of times and it makes me proud that we live in a place where we can share this with others. Plus, I really like food. I am quite adventurous when it comes to food, so this is the perfect place to try new things. This year Walk off the Earth is performing and I am super excited.

3. Celebration of Lights

Although I have not gone to the Honda Celebration of Lights since I was a kid, I hear it is a great experience. I hope to go this year. Every year, different countries show us a display of colorful lights (I only see pictures through instagram). This year the line up is Sweden, South Korea and South Africa. This event draws a major crowd. It is highly recommended that you make a day of it, find a place and stay until the end. The event is divided into three separate nights and at the end, a winner is chosen.

I really hope that I finally get to go on one of the nights. Its hard when you live outside of the city.

4. Lakes & Beaches

Not including the cost of gas and food to take on adventures. This is the least costly thing to do in Vancouver. Again, depending on where you are in Vancouver, there are tons of bodies of water to plant yourself to and enjoy. My three top places to go are Sunset Beach, Crescent Beach (which is about 45 minutes from Vancouver) and Buntzen Lake (about an hour from downtown Vancouver). Our parks and beachs draw a lot of attention in the summer. Being by the water makes me so happy. I enjoy sitting outside, reading my book and listening to the water splash. I don’t know how to swim (so being in the water terrifies me). And before you laugh at my not knowing to swim, I legit have this thing where if I cannot touch the ground, I freak. However being near the water is so soothing for me. I love it. When I was younger being at the lake was my childhood. Unfortunately, adulting sometimes gets in the way of being by the water.

Okay, so this is the most expensive on this list. But when the PNE Fair at Playland starts, it is fantastic. Playland is already great on its own with all the rides and carnival foods, but the Fair makes summer wonderful. More attractions, more random foods, more fun. They also have amazing performances (Summer Nights Concerts Series) on given nights and that’s what really lures me in. This year Cyndi Lauper, Boyz II Men, Salt N Pepa (for 90’s night) will be performing and I think that is absolutely exciting.

These are so many other things to do in Vancouver. I could honestly go on. There is always something happening in the summer and I think that’s why I love summer. I think I want to share more about my adventures in Vancouver and outside of Vancouver. Let me know if that is something you are down to read.

It looks like it’s going to be a rainy week in Vancouver! If you’re like me there are days when you love the rain and then there are days where you wish it was just cloudy. I like enjoying the weather because sometimes it can be “dark” for days and it can really take a toll on the mind and motivation. So I figured that I could write about things you could do when you’re stuck indoors or limited to the activities you can do.

But first here is my Saturday Morning Playlist, of course there are more on my playlist but I thought 10 would be enough to share while you read the rest of my post! Songs like this really set the tone for what kind of Saturday I will have so I hope you enjoy!

So what can you do on a rainy Saturday?

Go out for coffee or tea. Instead of going to your regular Tim Hortons or Starbucks. I’d recommend several places that could brighten up a dull day with their pastries and tea. Depending on where you live, they could be convenient or quite far so here are three. Or you could definitely sit at a Starbucks and do you!

La Petite Cuillere — Of course, to attend this beautiful tea room, you must make a reservation but it’s quite worth it. I had the pleasure of sharing this experience with one of my best friends and my sister this year for my birthday. It wasn’t a rainy day but cloudy which made it the perfect setting to sit by a large window, drink tea, eat pastries and pretend we were living in the days of Downton Abbey or Jane Austen. Located in Vancouver by a Library, can you say perfect?

Applewood Country — This one is closer to my home in Delta, I could walk here if I wanted to. This tea room definitely has a “I’m going to my grandmothers house” type of vibe. It is also a gift shop and it has the cutest things ever, from tea, pastries, vintage hats, PJ’s to stove tops and kitchen utensils for sale. I would like to thank my mother for introducing me to this gem.

Black Rook Bakery — Not a Cafe technically, but this Bakery has charm. On a rainy day, while my mother and I were waiting for my sister, we drove around and found this bakery that had the most delicious baked goods. I wish I had pictures still but their Pink Chiffon cake was the most delicious cake I’ve had in awhile, I paired it with Jasmine Green tea and I devoured that in minutes. It isn’t highly populated and you’ll find the decor to be quite interesting and attractive. I don’t know, I really liked the ravens on the fireplace mantel and their large dark coloured chandelier.

Go to Granville Island — LOVE LOVE Granville Island. I think it’s the perfect rainy day adventure. But that’s just me. There are so many cute things to see, delicious things to taste and goods to buy. Plus the view isn’t bad either.

Granville Island

See a movie or have a movie marathon — It could definitely be a netflix binge watching kind of day. Finish your Vampire Diaries, Prison Break or get started on Gotham, How to get away with Murder or whatever floats your boat. No one will judge you, it’s cold and wet out there. Why not stay in your onesie and cuddle up with your S/O or pets and just watch TV. Or you can go see some movies, I don’t know what’s playing because I only go to the movies when superhero movies are out or some dystopian world novel has been turned into a movie.

Read at home, at a library, or bookstore — Okay, this may be the nerd in me speaking but I love going to bookstores and not buy anything but just pick up a book and read for a bit. I’m sure that’s why there are chairs in most of them. Take advantage of that. I’ve lost track of time in a bookstore, It’s a magical place and some of them have cafe’s or a coffee shop nearby.

Go to a Art Gallery, Museum, etc. — I know some of these cost money and can be quite expensive but I’m pretty sure that it would be nice to go see one on a rainy day. Even Science World ( I will never call it “Telus world of science” ever) has the animal body works show, I’ve heard it can be quite interesting. I’d definitely recommend any of these.

Who doesn’t want to see animal insides?

Okay, so that’s my short list of things you CAN do but you really don’t have to. I know it’s cold out there, its dark and you’re probably not wanting to go out. To be honest, if it was possible I’d stay in bed all day and listen to music and read. I know you’re thinking that too. Or you’re totally the person who goes out and jumps in puddles (okay, I do that sometimes too). I just thought I’d share some possibilities. It’s Vancouver. There are tons of things to do. And well, if you’re not from Vancouver, you could still do stuff like this. Take a long drive over here and enjoy our West Coast weather. Just remember to stay safe out there, stay visible and drive safely.